Montana reinstates Johnson to football team

Missoula, MT (Sports Network) - The University of Montana reinstated
quarterback Jordan Johnson to the football program on Tuesday, less than a
week after he was acquitted on a rape charge.

Johnson, a 20-year-old junior from Eugene, Ore., was found not guilty on
Friday in a case involving a female UM student who accused him of raping her
on Feb. 4, 2012 as the two watched a movie at her home.

The university suspended Johnson from the football program last season, but he
appealed his return over the weekend and appeared before the UM athletic
conduct team on Monday. UM president Royce Engstrom also approved the
reinstatement.

"He is back on the team effective immediately," the university said in a
statement.

Johnson was the starting quarterback on the 2011 Montana team which shared the
Big Sky Conference title and reached the FCS national semifinals in an 11-3
season.

The Johnson case has been the most high-profile during a tumultous period at
the university.

UM is is under NCAA and federal investigations for the manner in which rape
allegations are handled on campus, investigated by police and prosecuted by
the Missoula County attorney's office.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Diane Barz has said her investigation found
nine alleged rapes or sexual assaults involving students occurred between
September 2010 and December 2011.